Time machine · 43 years ago
Computers in 1983
5 computers in the atlas launched in 1983: Atari 800XL, Apple IIe, MSX computer (Sony, Philips, Yamaha, Sanyo…), Acorn Electron, Compaq Portable. The most memory you could get in our catalogue was 128 KB (Compaq Portable); a 2025 flagship phone has 65,536× that.
$3,150what $1,000 in 1983 is worth in 2024 (US CPI)
65,536×more memory in today's phone than 1983's best in the catalogue
0people in the atlas got their first computer in 1983
5.7 million×memory growth expected since 1983 from the catalogue trend
Launched in 1983
Also on sale around 1983
Atari 800Atari · 8 KB · 1.79 MHz$999 → $4,320 todayTRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo)Tandy / Radio Shack · 4 KB · 0.89 MHz$399 → $1,520 todaySinclair ZX80Sinclair Research · 1 KB · 3.25 MHz£99.95Commodore VIC-20Commodore · 5 KB · 1.02 MHz$299.95 → $1,040 todaySinclair ZX81Sinclair Research · 1 KB · 3.25 MHz£69.95BBC Micro Model BAcorn · 32 KB · 2 MHz£335IBM PC (5150)IBM · 16 KB · 4.77 MHz$1,565 → $5,400 todayTI-99/4ATexas Instruments · 16 KB · 3 MHz$525 → $1,810 todayNEC PC-9801NEC · 128 KB · 5 MHz¥298,000Commodore 64Commodore · 64 KB · 1 MHz$595 → $1,930 todaySinclair ZX Spectrum 48KSinclair Research · 48 KB · 3.5 MHz£175Dragon 32Dragon Data · 32 KB · 0.89 MHz£199.5
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